Hearing the Music That Nobody Hears
by ashangel101010
Summary: Sequel to "In Discord and Rhyme" story. Kylo Ren and Armitage the Botanical Technician go on their first mission together.


Hearing the Music That Nobody Hears

* * *

Suggested Theme:

Main Theme- The Ballad of Sweeny Todd (Reprise) from Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982)

* * *

Dromund Kaas was not the first place that Kylo Ren had planned for him and Armitage to meet. He wanted to take the botanist to a tropical world where they can be by the sea and his ginger mermaid can splash in a crystal-clear ocean. Later seeking sanctuary beneath an umbrella for the sun was too harsh for his delicate, pale, green-tattooed skin.

His ginger lover could've been half-naked and Kylo would've found out if the tattoos dipped into those tight swim trunks.

However, his tropical fantasy was immediately blasted to death by reality.

First, writing a mission proposal and a budget report takes a lot longer than a day to compile. Second, bringing a non-First Order civilian onto a mission requires a bunch of forms and safety waivers, which also takes a lot longer than a day to fill out. Third, Armitage had to leave the ship the morning after their date for a job far from the _Finalizer_. Fourth, General Eclipse wasn't willing to move the ship to where Armitage's job took him, so Kylo had to wait weeks before Armitage was even in the same system as them. But Armitage had other jobs to go to, so it took weeks before he was even available for Kylo's trumped-up mission.

Finally, and unfortunately, Kylo couldn't use his trumped-up, tropical beach mission because his Master gave him an actual mission and at this point he was so frustrated that he decided Armitage can come along. And, as he's flying to the Sith World, he regrets inviting Armitage along.

Dromund Kaas is not the tropical paradise that he envisioned for Armitage. It's not a desert hellhole like Tatooine, but it's still unpleasant and very wet. And they were going to an abandon Sith Temple to find if the Prophets of the Dark Side left any records behind. So the little holiday that Kylo craved has been turned into a dull fact-finding mission.

 _At least, I'll get to see Armitage again._

* * *

The Dark Force Temple is located on the only solid ground for kilometers in the middle of the marshiest part of the dreary planet. The temple is surrounded by spike-encrusted rock spires and statues etched with Ancient Sith hieroglyphics. The temple looks more like an unfinished tomb for an Ancient Sith Lord where only the foundation of the pyramid was laid, but then later fashioned into a white fortress with golden statues guarding the stone slab entrance.

 _Clearly, you need the Force to enter this place, so Force-nulls or weak Force-users wouldn't be able to get in and raid the place. However, Master told me that Darth Sidious had the Prophets of the Dark Side exterminated in their own temple, so he might've stolen all of their records. And considering how anal the former Emperor was, he probably left no stone unturned here. But Master wants me to check anyways._ Kylo sighs deeply in his helmet and turns away from the fortress and gazes out at the marshes. He is waiting for Armitage to show up. He has been waiting for nearly thirty minutes now.

 _He has another ten minutes before he misses our appointed time. Considering his ancient ship and less than ideal conditions to find a place to land the ship, I wouldn't be surprised if he is late. Or doesn't show up at all. If I were him, I wouldn't bother to show up to this misery-soaked place!_ He keeps his eyes locked straight ahead, hoping against the Force-compelled-depression for that red hair and green-lined face to appear from behind a marsh tree.

 _I sincerely doubt he's going to show. He's a botanist, not a Dark Sider! There's no botany knowledge that he can gleam from this place. Except maybe from examining the flora of this sad world. Surely, no marsh tree is the same? Force, no, that was stupid, don't ever say that to him!_ If Armitage actually shows up. Which he probably won't.

 _I should've just waited until Matt had shore leave and called up Armitage to join, then we could've been relaxing together in some warm, dry building, instead of soaking our boots in these marshes and scouring a probably empty temple! I'M SUCH AN IDIOT—_ His internal tirade is cut off by a flash of red hair and a green-lined face.

 _He came. He actually came!_ Kylo bites on his plush lips from squealing like a child. And as his ginger gets closer, he notices something that chills his excitement. His mermaid of last night is dressed…like a fisherman. _Oh, I hate overalls. I hate them so much, especially these green rubber ones! I get that you need these to trek through the swamp, but, Force, why is it so hideous!?And his boots are brown and not solely from the mud! IS HE WEARING A PLAID SHIRT!_ Kylo's Amidala side is vomiting at his ginger fashion disaster.

His ginger finally walks, tracking more mud on the steps, and then bows before him.

"Lord Ren, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." There's a note of formality in Armitage's excitable voice like he's trying to be respectful. _Aww, he's bowing before me! I mean it's not him on his knees, which would've been a more welcomed sight, but he's bowing like a commoner before royalty._

"The feeling is mutual." Kylo's vocoder translates his flirtation into sterility. Which he is very grateful for. _I don't want Hux think I'm flirting with him. He's with Matt, the other me. Then again, we never really discussed exclusivity. For all I know, he could be banging someone with a bigger nose than me!_ Kylo clenches his fist at the thought of his ginger cheating on him. Armitage's watery blue eyes drift to his clenched fists.

"Am I late?" He asks, presuming that Master of the Knights of Ren is angry at him for not being punctual. Even though, he is five minutes early.

"No….I had a meeting with High Command." Kylo lies. He's actually never formally met with High Command; the only person he answers to is his Master. And sometimes General Eclipse when his Master orders him to. And Armitage, but only as Matt.

"Still as annoying as the Shadow Council, I take it?" Kylo is taken aback by Armitage's response. He expected either nothing or just a nod and then moving onto their mission.

"Yes."

"Let me guess they voiced their disapproval of this mission because it has to do with the _mystical_ Force?" Kylo is so grateful for Armitage supplying his lies.

"Yes."

"And me?" Kylo is puzzled by that, but he figures it's because Armitage doesn't work in the First Order and has faced obstacles because of it. If the number of forms he had to fill out to legally allow Armitage on this mission are any indication.

"Yes." Hux closes his eyes and smiles sweetly.

"Then, we better get on with the mission. Perhaps, you'll be able to find a Sith amulet to use against them!" Armitage walks up to the stone doors, leaving Kylo to relish Armitage's spite.

 _Wait, how does he know what a Sith amulet is?_

* * *

There is no puzzle nor a fight with one the golden statues for their entrance; Kylo only has to channel the Dark Side into the door and they are granted admittance. _Well, that's disappointing. I wouldn't mind something exciting to happen. And to show off my lightsaber in front of Armitage._ He imagines Armitage cheering him on from the sidelines, but then remembers the usual reaction that his lightsaber brings.

 _He'd probably be scared; all of the technicians, Stormtroopers, and the officers get scared shitless when they see it. Logically, Armitage should too, but he…defies logic. For Force sake, he came here of all places when he could've refused and probably found some other job!_ But Armitage came and is walking by his side; the ginger looks around like he's half in awe and half in curiosity.

 _Clearly, he's never been to many temples, but he somehow knows what a Sith amulet is. Or at least, a function of one. The hallway is nothing but the standard black marble floors and white walls like it's creating a Light and Dark motif. Even the Jedi Praxeum had more interesting hallways than this! But his eyes are drawn to the crown molding with their twisted faces and demonic spirals. Shit, what if staring at them too long causes a Force-null like him to fall under a trance?_

He watches Armitage a full minute; Armitage's eyes remain clear and beautifully green.

"Something wrong, M'Lord?" Armitage's nearly Core accent is unraveled by the last word. _Even pirates know to use "My Lord" over that. I don't think I've ever heard someone say it like that._

"My Lord." Armitage turns his head and looks at him with furrowed eyebrows. _Great, now he thinks I'm a jerk who likes correcting people._

"…Oh! I know I'm supposed to use _My Lord_ , but I'm a bastard." Armitage grins at him like a cheeky nexu. Now, Kylo is furrowing his eyebrows.

"How does being a bastard have anything to do with not enunciating a title properly?"

"Oh, you really don't know. I'm the Commandant's bastard and one of the running jokes in the Unknown Regions is that it's improper for a bastard to enunciate like a royal." Kylo stops mid-stride and clenches his fists.

 _Oh, I know that you're the Commandant's bastard; several of the officers certainly remembered that about you, but that got blotted out by you achievements and your perfect grades!_ Kylo has yet to hear from Nihl and Maladi about their reports on Armitage, but Kylo did a quick search in the First Order database on him and came across his Academy records.

 _The only record of his that got broken was his marksmanship and that was surprisingly by Lieutenant Mitaka of all people. And then he dropped out of the Academy at sixteen! He didn't even get to really test out his brilliance! He could've been where Eclipse is now! Was botany so alluring that he just had to leave without even finishing the semester!?_

"My Lord, are you well?" Kylo's anger suddenly evaporates on Armitage's finally proper enunciation. Even if there is wariness in Armitage's eyes like he's preparing himself to be attacked. Kylo resumes walking and unclenches his fists.

"I'm…just annoyed. We haven't found a hall of records or even a library in this place! What if this is just a fruitless search?" Armitage resumes walking with him and then stops. Kylo also stops and turns to see Armitage's eyes looking at the side of an archway. _We've passed like ten door-less archways on the way over here. So what does this one have that the others didn't?_

"I believe I've found a library." Kylo sees Armitage pointing at a black plaque with red Sith hieroglyphics on it. Kylo does not know what the plaque says because he cannot read Ancient Sith. _I'm working on it with Master and Nihl, but it's so different from Modern Sith! At least Modern Sith has lettering instead of these pictograms!_

"How do you know that's the library and not the storage closet?" Armitage goes up to the plaque, closes his eyes, and rubs on the hieroglyphics.

"Because that's what the plaque reads, and thankfully it's in Ancient Sith. I'm horrible at Modern Sith!" Armitage pulls a flashlight from his pack, clicks it on, goes through the archway and shines a beam of light into the darkness. Kylo sighs and follows after him. And then he pauses.

 _Wait, how does he know Ancient Sith?!_

* * *

Kylo whips out his lightsaber to provide himself a light. The hiss of his lightsaber and the sharp scent of ozone gets the ginger to turn around. He sees Hux looking hard at his lightsaber. _He doesn't look scared or angry. Holy shit, is he grinning?_ Kylo stares in disbelief at the grin curling from those thin, pale lips.

"You went for the flaming cross! That would be perfect against vampires, well, the Old World ones. Although, I don't think the blade itself is supposed to be this….fritz-y. Either you found a cracked Kyber crystal or this crystal was too weak to channel your Force prowess and cracked. Or, you made it from a poorly-translated Sith recipe. I do hope it's the last one, not many Dark Siders practice the Old Ways anymore." _First, Sith amulets, then Ancient Sith. And now Sith lightsaber construction!? How the kark does he know that? He's not a Force-user! Unless he was cloaking his Force signature from me! But only Sidious was a master at making himself nonexistent in the Force!_

"My Lord, I think we'll need to split up. Since this place has two floors…" Hux points his flashlight upwards to reveal the upper floor. _Okay, so there is an upstairs, but I don't see any stairs around here. Unless it's further back? Probably, this place is surprisingly big. Kind of reminds me of the old Imperial Throne Room back on Coruscant. Force, I'm here to look for records, not figure out if Armitage is secretly a Sith!_

"I'll take the upstairs, My Lord." Kylo watches as Armitage runs from him, jostling his flashlight as he moves. He sees small flashes of the bookcases that Armitage passes; the shelves are coated in gray dust and hold no records.

 _I get this feeling that dust is all I will find._ Kylo sighs and searches his floor for something besides dust and emptiness.

* * *

Armitage hums a song as he walks up the metal-grate steps.

 _"_ _Sweeney wishes the world away / Sweeney is weeping for yesterday."_ Hux softly sings under his breath as he takes his first steps onto the second floor.

 _Matt's right, Kylo is cool! For the past couple of weeks, Matt would just go on and on about the Master of the Knights of Ren. How Kylo had an eight-pack. How Kylo had a powerful lightsaber. How Kylo could stop blaster shots with the wave of his hand! But what he failed to mention was…was how quiet he is._

Hux walks down the aisles of the bookcases and so far has come across nothing but a thick coat of dust. He sighs.

 _I know that this was the headquarters of the Prophets of the Dark Side and that they came under Palpatine's thumb before the start of the Clone Wars. Somehow. But something happened here to make them leave. Or maybe Palpatine, in the throes of Dark Side degradation, had them eliminated and hoarded their records for himself. In which case, the records will be in one of his hidden warehouses…_ Hux sighs deeply and shakes his head in disappointment of turning up nothing in the next couple of aisles.

 _I haven't come across any evidence of a massacre here. I haven't seen any blood spots, blaster holes in walls, scorch marks, or even broken bookshelves. No, it's more likely that the Prophets, and considering their name they probably had someone that can see the future, knew that Palpatine was going to (possibly) kill them, so they left. If they did that, did they have the space or time to take ALL of the records with them? Ugh, I wish I could see into the past like father!_ He also wishes that there was a torn-out page or a half-burnt datacard for him to find instead of decades of dust on fairly plain shelves.

 _All of these shelves are made of the same grey wood, most likely from the surrounding swamp trees, and are shaped like two-meter-tall coffins. Their odd shape is the only noteworthy thing about them. And the amount of dust they can hold._ He's nearing the end of the aisles of coffins. And he has turned up nothing.

 _I hope Lord Ren has better luck than me!_ And at the last coffin, he finds something.

* * *

Kylo is staring at the last coffin-bookcase on his floor; he's grinding his teeth beneath his mask and his hands are deathly still. _Nothing. Absolutely kriffing nothing! Just DUST AND NOTHINGNESS! I HATE THIS PFASSKING PLACE!_

The only reason he hasn't destroyed the bookcases is because he doesn't want Armitage to hear his temper tantrum. _Because it would be a temper tantrum to him; it's not like there's any monster here trying to attack us. I feel no life here besides Armitage and me. Force, this was a waste of—_

"Lord Ren, I found something. It's not a record, or a datapad, or a datacard, or a book, or anything you probably wanted, but I found something!" He hears Armitage's voice echo across the library. His voice is an octave higher than it usually is and brimming with excitement.

 _Okay, vagueness aside, at least this wasn't a total wash!_ Kylo stalks across his floor to reach the metal-grate staircase and stalks up it.

"Over here, My Lord!" He sees Armitage waving his flashlight around like a spotlight. He switches stalking to speed-walking because he wants to, again, not scare Armitage. _Every time I stalk on the Finalizer, I make everyone flee. And besides this isn't some mating frenzy where I'll pounce on him and fuck him on the floor…oh, dammnit!_

Kylo now walks to Armitage.

"I'm surprised that you didn't use Force-speed to get here. But here is the something." _Okay, I really need to ask him if he's a Force-user as Matt. Because I doubt he'd tell me. And—_ Kylo's thoughts stop when he sees the _something_.

"A moth in a jar?" Kylo sees a moth floating in a clear fluid; its body is about a centimeter long, while the wings are seven centimeters in length. Its antennas are about a centimeter and a half and are curled like devil horns. The top half from the metathorax and up is colored like pine wood and even has reddish rings on the fore wings; the bottom half has long, white hair covering the rest of the body and the hind wings. Its eyes are a piercing blue.

 _If I had to guess what kind of moth, it's probably an Umbaran Calyptra or vampire moth. When I—er, Ben was nine, he was trying to design a fashion line inspired by moths. Well, he only sketched out two outfits with one of them being based on the vampire moth because…Leia took him to Skywalker and he lost his inspiration._ Kylo grips his lightsaber tightly.

"Yes, but I was wondering if you could sense something about it from the Force. You know make sure it's not some kind of trap." Kylo checks the Force to see anything _abnormal_ about this dead moth floating in the jar. _I sense nothing except a bit of Dark Side in the fluid, but it's extremely faint. Like…someone leaving a fingerprint on it with their Force signature._

"There is nothing unusual about it. I believe it's just a moth floating in embalming fluid." Armitage then uncorks the jar and the unpleasant, strong odor of embalming fluid hits their nostrils. He quickly corks the jar.

"You're right, My Lord….since it's not a record and not a Sith artifact, may I keep it?" Armitage beseeches with his life-green eyes. _Oh Force, I just realize he has freckles on his nose!_ Kylo shifts, hoping Armitage doesn't see his erection.

"…You may." Armitage smiles wide enough that Kylo believes his face will split.

 _Force, I want to split him with my—_

"Well, we better return to exploring the rest of fortress. Maybe we'll find those elusive records stored somewhere!"

* * *

"Yeah, we found nothing, Matt. Lord Ren was clearly disappointed by this, but he didn't throw a fit like everyone on the _Finalizer_ claimed he would."

 _"_ _Oh…perhaps he was tired."_

"Probably, but it doesn't take much energy to swing a lightsaber in a blind rage. I know from experience!"

 _"…_ _How did you get such experience?"_

"From Force-users, silly! Anyways, Lord Ren was kind enough to let me keep this jar with a dead moth inside."

 _"_ _Really? What are you going to do with it? Use it as a decoration?"_

"Mmm…something more, actually. So do you know when and where your next shore leave is?"

 _"_ _Uh, let's see…ah! I have one coming up exactly a standard week from now on Saijo. Will you be able to make it?"_

"I wouldn't miss it for the universe! See you soon, Matt!"

 _"_ _See you soon, Armitage!"_

Armitage turns off his comlink and places it on his seat. He grabs the jar from the co-pilot's chair and hurries to his lab.

 _I have a week until our next date, so that's plenty of time to shape a familiar from a dead moth!_

* * *

 **Author's Comments-** No links this time.

The _Umbaran Calyptra_ is a combination of a calyptra, or vampire moth, and a ghost moth because Umbara is a spooky place homed to a bunch of spooky creatures as the Umbara arc in _Clone Wars_ has shown us. Like this made-up moth. Although, Kylo should be wondering how did a moth from Umbara, which is located in the Expansion Region, make it all the way to Dromund Kaas, which is located in the outskirts of the Outer Rim. And what in the Seven Sith Hells will Armitage "shape" from that moth?

Again, this one-shot is loaded with Legends/Expanded Universe-material such as nods to the Shapers of Yuuzhan Vong and the Dark Force Temple itself. And the next nod is Saijo where Kylo gets a thorough history lecture from Armitage while also seeing him shirtless for the first time. Will that lecture be worth it? Tune in next time!


End file.
